Cloudburst
by notthatplatypus
Summary: Vesta advises Marlin to stay inside on a stormy day, and something inside him snaps. Jill's the one to find him, angry, upset, and feeling patronized. Based on Marlin's Yellow Heart Event in DS Cute.


**Author's Note: I based this fic on the Yellow Heart Event for Marlin in DS Cute. Some lines are taken word for word, some aren't. Hope you enjoy!**

Jill loved the rain.

The spring rains were her favorite. Spring rain helped to coax life from the earth and to wash away the evidence of the winter before. She didn't mind the summer and fall rains, which helped to cool down and refresh everyone. Residents of Forget-Me-Not Valley often spotted Jill walking through the rain without boots or an umbrella on warm, rainy days. The feeling of wet grass between her toes was one of life's little joys for her.

Marlin hated the rain.

Even before he had gotten sick, Marlin hated leaving the house in rainy weather. The humidity made his hair even more voluminous than usual, and the dampness that settled in the city brought forth the smell of wet garbage. After getting sick and moving to the valley, he hated the rain even more. It trapped him inside under the watchful eyes of his sister and Celia, to make sure he stayed as healthy as possible.

Despite their differences, Jill and Marlin got along well. No one in the valley expected the tiny, loud, blunt new girl to be the one to coax Marlin out of his shell, but not long after they met, they'd start showing up to the bar and the inn together, with Marlin looking the closest to happy anyone had ever seen him. Muffy would tell anyone willing to listen about how she was _sure_ Marlin had a thing for Jill, and offered to take wagers on when they'd finally start dating. Takakura always asked Jill if she planned on marrying anyone in the valley, which would leave her blushing and frazzled.

Rainy days in the valley often meant Jill had extra free time, as there were no crops that needed watering. She would often go over to Vesta's farm to find Marlin working in the storeroom while Celia and Vesta tended the fields. It was no secret that being trapped inside doing inventory left him frustrated and feeling patronized. Jill tried her best to be there for him on rainy days. She'd bring over fresh food and the two of them would sit in the storeroom and talk until long after nightfall.

When Jill woke up on that early fall day to the sound of rain drumming on her roof, she expected a normal rainy day routine. She got up, got dressed, packed a lunch for her and Marlin to share, and headed out to the barn to feed the animals. A quick feeding and milking of the cows was all that needed to be done, and Jill left the barn feeling accomplished.

Upon arriving at Vesta's, Jill discovered that the storeroom was empty. She figured Marlin was in the house, and headed over to find him. She went to knock on the house door, but stopped herself when she heard commotion within. She couldn't make out the words, but she could hear Marlin and Vesta yelling, their voices almost overlapping. There were shuffling noises, and the door in front of her was flung open. Marlin stormed past her without acknowledging her presence.

"Mar-" she started to call to him, then stopped herself. It wasn't worth it to get involved when she didn't know what was going on.

Vesta heard Jill's halfhearted call, and noticed her standing sheepishly at the door. "Hey, come in," she invited. Vesta's brow was furrowed, and Celia, who was standing next to her, was visibly upset.

"Wha-what happened?" Jill stammered. Vesta sighed.

"Well, I wanted Celia and Marlin to stay inside today, with the weather like it is. You know, for their health, and Marlin snapped. Told me to stop treating him like a child. Stormed outta here, which you saw." Vesta ran her hand through her red curls and let out a groan. "This is my fault," she told Jill. "I need to go look for him before he gets himself sick. Will you help me look? If we split up, we can cover more ground in less time." Jill nodded. "Great."

Vesta turned to Celia. "Celia, you stay here in case Marlin comes back on his own." Celia said nothing, but the worry on her face spoke for her. "I'm headed down to the beach." Vesta turned and hurried out the door, which slammed shut behind her.

"If I were Marlin, where would I go?" Jill wondered aloud. "I'd want somewhere quiet, away from people…" The answer came to her suddenly. "Celia! I think I know where Marlin is!" Before Celia could ask where he might be, Jill had turned and started out the door.

Once outside, Jill headed towards the goddess pond. It was the only place that made sense for Marlin to go. Few people went out on rainy days, and those who did didn't want to walk the muddy path to the pond. The mud didn't bother farmers, and as Jill trudged along the path she found herself following a pair of footprints, likely Marlin's. Jill picked up her pace, and as she turned, Marlin's figure became visible through the trees. He was staring down at the goddess pond with his shoulders thrown forward. Even though he looked frazzled, the sight of him caused Jill's heart to beat rapidly.

"Marlin!" she shouted. He turned, and upon seeing his distraught look Jill broke into a run towards him. She stopped in front of Marlin and surveyed him. Rain water was dripping from his curls, and his shirt was starting to cling to him.

"What do you want?" he mumbled, staring down at his shoes. A nagging voice inside told him that she had seen his display of anger earlier, and he was humiliated.

"I was worried about you." Her words came out only slightly slightly above a whisper, but Marlin caught them anyways. He flushed bright red. She didn't mean it in a condescending way. She cared, and only thought of him as an equal. He finally lifted his head and looked at her. Her violet eyes were full of compassion, and he felt that he could tell her the words he needed to get off of his chest.

"Since it's you…" he started, and paused. "I think I can be honest. You'll listen?" Jill nodded, and reached for one of his hands. She gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"What makes you think I wouldn't?" She asked. She took his free hand with hers, and laced her fingers through his. She wasn't wearing her work gloves, and Marlin noticed how soft her hands were for a farmer's. His next words were hard to get out, and they kept getting caught in his throat. All he could focus on was the softness of her hands in his, and he glanced down at their interlaced fingers.

"I-I've been waiting so long for my body to recover from that illness I had awhile ago," he started. "But I just don't seem to be able to get my full strength back." Marlin looked back up at her, and saw that her wet bangs had fallen into her face. She was a good head shorter than him, and her hair obscured his view of her face. He broke her grip and reached up to push her bangs aside. With a single motion, he tucked her wet hair behind her ear.

Jill tensed when his fingers brushed along her face. Something about the action was so…intimate. He noticed her tenseness, and the pink that had crept into her cheeks. He wondered how much she really cared about him, and if she'd be honest with him. It was in this moment that he worked up the nerve to ask her the question that had been burning inside him all day.

"Jill, I want your honest opinion. Do you think I can ever be as strong as I used to be?" He blurted out.

She hesitated for a moment before replying. The only sound that could be heard was the soft pattering of the rain.

"Well, you can, but not if you keep running out into the rain to try and prove a point." she said dryly. He laughed nervously, and the tension between the two of them broke. "Take care of yourself, Marlin, and I know you'll be fine."

"Jill…" he started. He stopped himself, unsure of how to express his emotions. She smiled a small, encouraging smile, and it gave him the courage to go on. "Well, looking into your hopeful eyes, I feel awfully silly for despairing like that."

"Hopeful eyes?" She repeated, with a hint of playfulness in her voice.

"Hopeful, caring…" The teasing look she was giving him dared him to continue. "beautiful."

"Says the one with eyes bluer and deeper than any of the oceans." She shot back. Marlin laughed. She was so blunt, and so beautiful, and in that moment Marlin realized she needed to know he felt about her. She needed to know how she made him weak in the knees every time he saw her. She needed to know that he took her words to heart, and that she could make him feel better when no one else could.

" You really mean that, don't you?" he asked her.

Marlin realized it was now or never. "Jill, I… I like you. A lot. And I was wondering if we could get dried off… and maybe go on a date? You're so, so...amazing, and I don't… I don't want to be without you." It felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders once the confession was out there, but the anxiety of waiting for her answer began to set in.

Jill processed Marlin's words slowly. Could it really be that the man who wouldn't even look at her when she first came to the valley wanted to date her? Could it really be that the man she adored liked her back?

"Oh, Marlin…" she finally said.

He braced himself for rejection.

"Of course!" she exclaimed, and he pulled her into his embrace.

Jill wasn't particularly heavy, but Marlin wasn't prepared to bear her weight. Jill had a lot of hidden pounds in muscle, and as she entered his embrace he took a step back to balance himself out. His foot landed on the bank of the goddess pond, and the bank collapsed under the weight of both of them. He flailed and tried to regain his balance, but it was too late. Marlin tumbled into the goddess pond, pulling Jill in with him.

Marlin let go of her in shock as the two of them hit the cold water. The pond was relatively shallow, but Jill was still too short to touch the bottom. She instinctively swam towards the surface, and her head broke the ripples lingering on the pond. Marlin followed a second later, and found his footing on the bottom.

Their apologies overlapped. Exclamations of "I'm sorry" and "It was my fault" came from both parties. Marlin noticed her treading to stay afloat, and pulled her into his arms.

"Your sister is going to _kill _me," Jill exclaimed.

"It's okay," he replied. He used one arm to keep her above the water, and with his free arm pushed her hair back. Jill did the same for Marlin's drenched curls. Their hands rested on each other's faces, and neither moved them. "Life's never boring with you around, is it?" he asked.

"I like it like that." she shot back. His heart fluttered. Every instinct told Marlin that he should kiss her, and before he could give it a second thought, his mouth met hers.

The kiss was sloppy, but it didn't matter to either of them. Jill tensed at first, then relaxed, kissing him back. She ran her fingers through his messy curls, sending chills down his spine. He hugged her even tighter, so tight that he could feel the wiring of her bra pressing into his skin through their wet shirts. The two finally broke for air, swollen lipped and heavily breathing. Jill rested her head on his shoulder, and neither of them spoke for a moment.

"Come on," he said finally. "We should get out of here and dry off." He loosened his grip on Jill and lifted her out of the pond. She stood up and helped pull him out of the water.

"We should go back to my place to freshen up." Jill suggested. He nodded. They turned to leave for Jill's farm, and Marlin slipped his hand into hers.

As they reached Jill's farm, she started jogging towards the door, pulling Marlin along with her. She opened the door and nudged him inside, kicking the door closed behind her. Jill grabbed Marlin by the collar, pulled him down to her height, and kissed him fiercely. She broke the kiss abruptly, sensing that getting Marlin dry was more important.

"I've been wanting to do that since we got out of the pond, but I figured it'd be best to get out of the rain first." She confessed. "You. Why don't you take a hot shower and I'll put your clothes in the dryer?" She asked. He nodded. "I'm going to go grab fresh towels for you and call your sister to let her know you're here. Just leave your wet clothes outside the bathroom door." Jill turned, and walked towards her bedroom.

Her soaked clothes clung to her body, and as she walked Marlin was able to notice the soft sway of her hips normally concealed by her apron. She stepped into the next room, and was out of his sight, but he couldn't get the image of her swaying hips out of his mind. He shook his head. It was too early for him to be thinking about her like that. Marlin headed into the bathroom, and turned on the shower. The water would help him clear his head.

Even though the door was closed, Marlin felt self conscious stripping down in Jill's house. The appeal of the warm water finally overpowered his nervousness, and he took his clothes off and cracked the bathroom door to drop them outside. Fresh towels were folded outside the door for him, and he grabbed them hurriedly. Marlin closed the door, set the towels on the sink, and stepped into the shower.

Jill waited for the sound of the bathroom door closing before she went and scooped up Marlin's wet clothes. She tossed them into the dryer and turned it on high. Jill headed into her bedroom and pulled out dry clothes, but the mud caked on her made her reluctant to change. She grabbed a washcloth from her closet, and went into the kitchen to freshen up at the sink. After cleaning off, Jill changed into fresh clothes. The dryer stopped, and Jill grabbed Marlin's dry clothes and placed them outside the bathroom door. She waited on the couch in the living room for Marlin to finish showering and get changed. Thunder could be heard rolling outside.

A few minutes later, Marlin walked into the living room. He joined Jill on the couch. "You're okay?" she asked. "You're warm?" He nodded. "Good."

"Are you okay?" he asked her. He reached out and placed a hand on her forearm, which was cold to his touch. "You're chilly."

"Yeah, a little bit," She admitted. Marlin grabbed a throw blanket from the couch and wrapped it around her.

"I'm so sorry. This is my fault. If I hadn't acted so foolish and ran off in the first place…" he trailed off.

"It's okay," she reassured him. Jill gave him a quick peck on the cheek and wrapped her arms around him. "We wouldn't be here right now if today hadn't happened."

"I wanted to take you on a date today, but it doesn't look like that'll be happening." Marlin admitted.

"Well, maybe it's better that we're here...alone… just us." Jill teased. We can save a date out for a better day. I owe you one, okay? The weather seems to be getting worse outside. Why don't you stay here until the rain lets up?"

As if on cue, a flash of lightning illuminated the outdoors. The lights in the house went out with a 'pop', and Jill and Marlin were left sitting in a dim room.

"Mood lighting?" she joked. Marlin grinned. She kissed him on the cheek again, but followed it with another kiss a bit lower. And another. And another.

As she worked her way down his jawline to his mouth, Marlin found himself quivering with anticipation. Their lips met forcefully, and their eyes closed naturally. He rested his hands on the curve of her waist, and hers found her way up the nape of his neck. The kiss deepened, and Jill let out a soft sigh of contentment. The sound nearly drove him wild. He could feel his blood pumping furiously throughout his body, fueled by the adrenaline coursing through his veins. Marlin didn't think anything could make him crazier than the sound of Jill's soft sighs, but he was wrong. She nipped at his lower lip, giving it a gentle tug with her teeth, and Marlin swore that he had drowned in the goddess pond and gone to heaven.

Jill picked up his hands from where they were resting on her hips and brought them up higher. Marlin tensed, and Jill could feel it in his mouth on hers. He was in dangerous territory, with his hands resting on the curves of her breasts. His heartbeat now was wild, erratic, and he swore his jeans weren't this tight when he put them on this morning. He could feel her heartbeat, and it was almost as fast as his, which reassured him.

Jill nipped at his lower lip again, and he let out a soft moan. She took this as an opportunity to part his lips with her tongue, to which he graciously complied. Their lips touched, their tongues mingled, and Jill could taste a mix of something like berries along with a flavor that was his own. She savored it.

He didn't know how long it had been when they finally stopped their makeout session, but Jill was the one to halt the kissing. She broke away abruptly and buried her head in the crook of her arm. Before Marlin could ask what was wrong, she sneezed. Once. Twice. Three times.

"I think-" she sneezed again. "I think I might have caught a cold from being out in the rain."

"Oh, Jill." He sighed, and scooped her up into his arms. "You okay with me tucking you into bed?"

"Mhm," She mumbled. She was already starting to sound a bit stuffed up. He stood up, with her still in his arms, walked over to Jill's bedroom, and kicked the door open. He had to admit, her room was quite messy. Drawers were open with clothes spilling out everywhere, her work boots were scattered at the foot of her bed, and her covers were tossed aside and crumpled up. He laid her down on the bed, and smoothed the covers over her.

"I guess we both took care of each other today, huh?" she said. He didn't say anything, but planted a kiss on her forehead. He turned to leave.

"Wait-stay with me." she called after him. Jill pulled the covers aside and moved over. "At least until it stops raining." He nodded. He slipped under the covers, and was surrounded by the smell of _her_. It was intoxicating. She kissed him gently, and he kissed her back, again and again, and again. These kisses were less charged with passion and more filled with affection, and the feeling of his soft lips on hers was the last thing she remembered before sleep overcame her.

Marlin gently slid out from under the blankets, and tucked them around Jill's sleeping figure. In the other room, the lights had kicked back on. The storm was over, and night was beginning to fall. It was time for him to go home.

He didn't want to leave, but he knew they'd see each other again, and quite soon. The perks of having Jill live so close to him were endless. He figured he'd see her again in the morning, and they could discuss what to do from there.

After all, she _did _owe him a date.


End file.
